Our Christmas Patagonian Adventure

Because of Mona's work, we have to travel during school holidays.  With her being off for two full weeks this year, we've hit the road again....this time to Patagonia for a 10-day hiking and outdoor adventures in the southern Andean mountain range.  The Patagonia region spans both Chile and Argentina and we're visiting both on this trip.

We actually had this trip planned for Spring Break 2020, but then COVID happened and all travel ceased for the year.  It may have been a blessing in disguise as we're able to spend more time here than we would with just a week.  It took over 24 hours of planes, trains (at the airport 😆), and automobiles, to travel over 6,200 miles from Dulles Airport to our hotel in Cerro Castillo, Chile on the outskirts of Torres Del Paine National Park.  This included over 15 hours of actual flight time and 3.5 hours driving fron our arrival airport in Punta Arenas.

Given our limited amount of sleep, we are in bed early.  We had a delicious dinner at our hotel, and now with our full bellies, we hope to reset our internal clocks and adjust to the new time zone. We begin our hiking adventures bright and early tomorrow.  First up, the namesake Torres de Paine trail to see the Towers for which the park is named.

Farewell Greece. Until Next Time.

This has been a fantastic trip.  We have seen so much history and beauty during our travels.  The fitness tracker on my watch says we've walked over 92 miles the past two weeks, averaging a little more than 6.5 miles per day.  Wendy would probably argue that we actually went mountain climbing considering all the uphill we did visiting the various acropoli and the monasteries in Meteora.  We've had great weather, great food, and great travel connections with all of the flights, trains, and buses.

One thing I haven't mentioned in previous posts are the number of feral cats in Greece. It seemed like everywhere we went, there were cats hanging out or coming up to you to see if you had any treats to share.  The Greeks love their cats and leave food and water out for them even though they aren't really their pets.

I leave you with one final photo of a cat living its best life soaking up the sun amidst all the beauty around it.

Meteora

Roussanou

After leaving Delphi and another lovely drive through the mountains, we arrived mid-afternoon in Meteora.  Next to the towns of Kastraki and Kalabaka, Meteora is an area of large rock pinnacles that jut up from the surrounding valley.  It is on these pinnacles that a number of monasteries were built.  These locations provided the ultimate isolation for the monks to separate from the outside world and focus on their faith and work.  It also provides some of the most picturesque scenes to see and experience.

Varlaam

The majority of monasteries located here were founded in the 14th and 15th centuries. At one time there were 24 separate monasteries atop the various pinnacles, but only 6 remain today and all are still active.  They are Great Meteoron, Varlaam, Roussanou, St. Stephen, Holy Trinity, and St. Nikolaos.  All of the monasteries are open to visitors, although they are not all open every day.  A multi-day visit is needed in order to actually tour them all. 

With the exception of St. Stephen, each monastery requires an uphill walk and lots of stairs.

Holy Trinity

We visited Varlaam, St. Nikolaos, and St. Stephen during our time here, but saw and photographed all of them from the outside.  It is mind-boggling to see each of them perched high atop a pinnacle, knowing that when they were constructed, everything had to be carted up to the top.  No machinery or helicopters to make the job easier.  Each monastery has different architectural aesthetics, but one thing in common is that every square inch of the church and chapel areas is painted with various icons and religious scenes.  We noticed that as well in the other Greek Orthodox churches we visited.

We had a beautiful day in which to explore and absorb this majestic landscape.  The leaves here are now starting to change colors, adding another layer of beauty.  This has been a great way to finish up our trip before heading back to Athens and our flight home.

St. Nikolaos

St. Stephen

Great Meteroron

Delphi

In front of the Treasury of Athenians

After spending our Sunday enjoying Nafplio and Epidauros, we drove 3.5 hours to Delphi, through lots and lots of curves as we traversed one mountain to the next.  We arrived in time for dinner before crashing for the night.  After breakfast on Monday morning, we set off for the Museum and Archaeological Site.  I re-read what I wrote during our 2018 visit and don't think I can really add anything to the details of what we experienced --  (click here) to read more. 

Time has been flying by on this trip.  It's hard to believe that we have only one more day before we head home.   We're off to Meteora for our final adventures.

Nafplio and Epidauros

As I mentioned in my previous post, Nafplio is becoing one of my favorite towns to visit. Walking around the old center of town has such a nice and relaxed vibe and its setting on the water is very picturesque.  Even though this is my third visit here, I'm still discovering new things.  I thank Wendy and her research for that.

Lion of Bavaria

We visited the Lion of Bavaria, which is a monument carved into the exposed rock of Palamidi Hill in what is now a neighborhood near the Palamidi Fortress.  This is a memorial to the Bavarian soldiers who died in the 1833-34 typhoid outbreak in Nafplio.  Why were there Bavarian soldiers in Nafplio?  It was because the Bavarian Prince Otto was installed as the King of Greece after the Greeks won their independence from the

Lucerne Lion Monument

Ottoman Empire.  These soldiers served as royal guards.  Otto served as King from 1832 -1862. This monument is based upon a similar lion monument in Lucerne, Switzerland which honored the memory of Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution.

Church of Agioi Pantes

Around the corner from the monument is the Church of Agioi Pantes.  This tiny church is also partially built into the rock of Palamidi Hill. Many of the Bavarian soldiers who dierd of typhoid were buried in the cemetery here until later being exhumed and moved to the crypt of the Catholic Church of Metamorphosis Tou Sotiris.  One of the unique things about this church is the use of old gravestones to build the stairway leading up to it.  In our prior trips, Mona and I drove by the street where both the church and monument are located, unaware of their existence.

After walking around and enjoying the town, we set off for a short drive to Epidauros. Here we visited the Sanctuary of Asklepios which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Asklepios was the Greek God of Medicine and many people came to worship him and seek healing for all sorts of afflictions.  We spent a lot of time touring the archaeological site which included temples, baths, athletic stadium, and even a dormitory.  The crown jewel of the site is the best preserved amphitheater of all Ancient Greece.  It is renowned for its acoustics and can seat up to 15,000.  Built in the 4th century BC, they still use it for performances during the summer months.

Ancient Amphitheater

I love that I discovered new things as well as revisited favorites.  That's why I enjoy traveling so much.

Crossing Bridges

It's Saturday, and after eight nights, we've left Athens for good until we go to the airport for our flight home.  We're traveling back to the Peloponnese past Corinth to the archaeolgical site of the ancient city of Mycenae.  The Mycenaean civilization was the last phase of the Bronze Age and lasted from roughtly 1750 BC to 1050 BC.  The Mycenaeans are considered the first distinctively Greek civilization.  Their syllabic script called Linear B are the first written records of the Greek language.

Lion Gate

As with other places we've visited, Mycenae was atop a hill.  The citadel covered about 7.5 acres and is surrounded by a wall with giant boulders.  Greek myth states these walls were built by the Cyclops because only they could move boulders so large, hence the term Cyclopean walls.  The main entrance is the Lion Gate which was erected in the 13th century BC.  It remains today as it was almost 3500 years ago, a testament to the skill of the Mycenaean builders.

The wind was howling during our visit, and it was especially strong at the top where there were no walls for protection.  We could easily lean forward and not fall as the wind was that strong.  As we made our way through, we saw both large grave circles that had been excavated.  Many of the treasures found in the two grave circles are on display at the National Archaeological Museum which we saw when in Athens.  We also visited the Treasury of Atreus, also referred to as the Tomb of Agamemnon.  It was built between 1350 BC and 1250 BC and is in the shape of a beehive.  It was built into a hillside so all you see is the opening for the entrance.  Again, the fact that this is still intact thousands of years later is quite the construction feat for the Mycenaeans.

Wendy crossing a 3500-year-old bridge

After we left Mycenae, we set off for the seaside town of Nafplio where we will spend the night.  But first, we searched for two different Mycenaean bridges that date back 3500 years and are still intact.  One was next to the road, but the other required a small bit of hiking to locate. These are located on the what was the main Mycenaean trail from Epidauros to Mycenae.

I've been very fortunate in my travels and this is my third trip to Greece.  This is also my third time visiting the seaside city of Nafplio in the Peloponnese.  It's quickly becoming one of my favorite places.  It's a lovely town with three different fortresses that were used to guard against invaders over the centuries.  Tomorrow, we'll get to it explore a little more.

Lesvos

Our final island day trip from Athens was to Lesvos.  Thank goodness it was our final day of waking up at zero-dark-thirty. Wendy was a geology major at William and Mary, so when she learned that there was a pertrified forest and large national park on Lesvos, that became our top destination. We arrived at 8am, collected our rental car, and drove an hour and a half to the western edge of the island to the petrified forest museum and the national park.

Still seeing the roots

In simplest terms, petrification is when organic matter is turned into stone.  In the case of Lesvos, this was the result of at least eight separate volcanic eruptions.  That is the number of layers they have discovered through excavation.  One of the more unique features of the forest is that many of the petrified trees are in situ, meaning they are still standing in their original position as they were when living.  In some instances, you could even see the root structures as well as the trunk of the tree.  I've visited pertrified forests in Mississippi and Arizona, and the tree trunks were lying on the ground and not standing.

The largest tree still standing here was a sequoia that was about 25 feet in height. The other remarkable thing is the sheer number of petrified trees.  At the other ones I visited, the petrified items were few and far between.  Here, you practically tripped over them as you walked.  Or as we say in the South, there were too many to shake a stick at.

As we were driving out to the petrified forest, we passed an area with a large number of birds.  Wendy checked online as we were driving and it turns out that there are flamingos in the wild on Lesvos and that was likely what we saw.  Since we were retracing our steps back east, we hoped that they would still be there.  Fortunately for us, they were.  Birdwatching in that area was so popular, they constructed bird blinds that we could climb and sit in to observe.  It made for a fabulous vantage point to take photos.

After spending time admiring the flamingos, we had an adventurous drive through a village with extremely narrow streets to find a Roman acqueduct that was still standing.  Even though I've seen these in other places, I'm still amazed at the ingenuity and longevity of these structures.  I was able to fly my drone and catch great pictures.

We stopped at a local taverna for dinner before heading back to the airport.  There was a group of locals who we assumed were celebrating something, or maybe just glad it was Friday and the weekend was here.  They were playing traditional Greek music and would occasionally start dancing.  It was as if we were watching a scene from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  

So I guess the movie was a fairly accurate depiction.